Zanzibar

Zanzibar is the natural post-safari pairing for Tanzania — an archipelago of coral islands 35 kilometres off the Tanzanian coast where the Indian Ocean's turquoise waters meet a UNESCO World Heritage Stone Town of extraordinary cultural complexity. The island's history — Arab, Omani, Indian, Portuguese, British — is written in the carved wooden doors, the spice plantations, and the narrow streets of Stone Town, which was the centre of the East African slave trade and the birthplace of Freddie Mercury.

andBeyond Mnemba Island is East Africa's most celebrated private-island retreat — a 13-villa resort on a tiny coral atoll 3 kilometres off the north-east coast of Zanzibar, surrounded by one of the finest house reefs in the Indian Ocean. The island is entirely private; the only guests are those staying in the 13 bandas. It is the most intimate and most expensive hotel in East Africa, and the most extraordinary diving destination in the region.

Zuri Zanzibar, on the north-west coast near Kendwa, is the only Relais & Châteaux property on the island — a 40-villa resort with a design aesthetic that combines Swahili architecture with contemporary African art. The Residence Zanzibar, on the quieter south-west coast, offers the most villa-scale space on the island: 66 private villas with their own pools, set in a coconut plantation above a calm lagoon. Park Hyatt Zanzibar is the only five-star hotel inside Stone Town's UNESCO core — the best base for exploring the old city.

Zanzibar's diving is among the finest in the Indian Ocean. The Mnemba Atoll Marine Conservation Area, surrounding andBeyond Mnemba Island, is the most biodiverse dive site in the region — whale sharks, dolphins, humpback whales (June–September), and one of the healthiest coral gardens in East Africa. Every hotel on the island offers guided diving; the best sites are accessible only from the north and east coasts.

June–October is Zanzibar's best season: dry, the south-east trade winds provide natural cooling, and the diving is at its finest. December–March is the second-best period: warm, calm seas, and the best conditions for whale shark sightings. April–May is the long rains: the lowest prices and the fewest tourists, but heavy rain and some beach closures.